Thiasians
General Info 'Thiasian' are name for Melody and Lyric's people. However there are two things that are categorically false about that description: # Thiasians are by and large not actually people or rather are no longer people. There is only one known exception, which is Melody. But the entity that is known as Melody is actually a personification of Tricia's humanity which she cast aside to become Lyric. # Thiasians have their own language that is entirely divergent from any known terrestrial language. It is perceived by the human brain as though the speaker is quoting music lyrics. Fortunately often times the meaning of those music lyrics conveys in a very general sense what is being said but it is very hard for someone not 'fluent' to understand the exact nature of what is being conveyed. As such 'Thiasian' is not the 'Thiasian' word for 'Thiasian', but rather 'Thiasian' is the accepted English language equivalent to the actual name for the group. Thiasian History Gordon at one point speculates about the origins of the Thiasian order as them being descendents from an order of Grecian spiritualists that were considered to have been completely wiped out during the sacking of their temple complex during the fall of the Greek Empire. Other than that, not much else is known about their history, nor has Gordon's speculation ever been confirmed or denied by anyone with the authority to make such a declaration. Thiasian Culture Little is known of what day to day life in the Thiasian culture is like. But the following can be inferred from what little is known: * They are a hierarchical theocracy (as indicated by the titles of various Thiasians) * They have access to modern technology (as indicated by among other things Lyric's use of an iPad to communicate) * They have a legal system that is equivalent or at-least analogous to that of a modern day first world country (as indicated by various actions on the part of 'The Attorney') * Despite being a religion based society, Thiasians do not worship a god or goddess so much as they could be said to worship the very concept and perceived power behind music itself, which is referred to as 'The Music' * Save for 'The Attorney' (and possibly even 'him') all Thiasians that have been encountered have been able to perform some form of music based magic with the implied source of the power being the users connection and dedication to the worship of 'The Music'. * They clearly have some form of military or militarized spiritualists as they have frequently been said to be in a perpetual conflict with Connections to other Cultures and Religions: It has not been fully explained but there is an obvious connection between Thiasians and: * Dionysius - a Greek Demi-God, for whom Gordias Midas the 12th is the current High Priest * The Arch Angel Gabriel - or at-least to his horn which manifests itself as Melody's companion, Gabriel Horne Thiasian 'Homeland' * It should be noted that it would technically be their ADOPTED homeland if Gordon's as yet unconfirmed belief about the Thiasians origin as an ancient Grecian spiritual order are correct * Like much about the Thiasians, very little is known about whatever constitutes their homeland. Though according to Melody's assurances to Daniel concerning the security of the Thiasian homeland as place to keep 'The Georgian' it can only be accessed by Thiasians via their ability to convert themselves entirely into sound waves. How or why this makes others unable to access the Thiasian homeland is unclear at this point. But it is implied that the Thiasian Homeland is not tangible but rather composed entirely of sound in some way, which would explain the inability of others to travel to and/or interact with it. Thiasian Language As mentioned above, the Thiasian language sounds to anyone who can not understand it like random music lyrics being said in whatever the listener's primary language happens to be and often times those lyrics convey in a very general sense what is being said. Some examples include: * 'Where have all the flowers gone?' - Generalized inquiry into the nature and state or reasoning behind something. * 'Jeremiah was a bullfrog/he was a good friend of mine.' - Generalized expression of familiarity with a person, place, construct, or concept The Spiritual Nature of the Thiasian Language: High ranking members of the Thiasian Hierarchy for reasons that have thus far been described as being due to dedication to their faith/cause, converse entirely in the Thiasian language which makes communicating with people who do not understand their language complicated at times. Lyric however has demonstrated the ability to understand the English language making translating only necessary from her to others rather than from others to her as well. It can be assumed that other Thiasians who were once members of another culture can still understand their original language. People who have demonstrated an ability to understand the Thiasian Language: * Lyric - As a full 'blooded' Thiasian and one that has been repeatedly ascribed the 'rank' of a High Priestess, she is quite fluent in the Thiasian Language * Melody - Through a combination of her connection to Lyric as well as having resided amongst 'Thiasians' for decades. * The Attorney - as some form or member of the Thiasian culture, he is fluent in both English and the Thiasian Language * Gordias Midas the 12th - Gordon has only a rudimentary comprehension of the Thiasian language, which was likely bolstered by his indirect connection to that speculated lost order of Ancient Greek Spiritualists through his connection to Dionysius in order to facilitate his ability to liberate himself and a thiasian from Ward 2, it is not clear whether under more pedestrian circumstances if Gordon could carry out a conversation with someone in the Thiasian language. Image Source: http://www.cardinaldistrict.org/3-simple-steps-to-learn-music/ ]] The Written Thiasian Language Much like the spoken language is perceived by non-speakers as music lyrics, the written Thiasian language more often than not is perceived as sheet music, only very very complicated and complex sheet music. Abilities Inherent to Thiasians * The ability to use music based magic * The ability to functionally teleport by converting one's physical being purely to sound waves and traveling to one's intended destination and then reforming themselves. Technically this would make Thiasians Teleportation many times slower than most other forms of teleportation as Thiasians can only travel at the speed of sound where as teleporters like Kenzie and Nightcrawler can travel at and/or faster than the speed of light. * The ability to travel to whatever constitutes the Thiasian homeland or rather adopted homeland (assuming Gordon's presumption about their Greek origins is correct). Appendix A: Related Terms and Concepts 'Star Child' Melody is frequently referred to by other Thiasians as 'Star Child'. But other than that the term/name is often applied to Melody, little else is known about it's meaning. What little is known can be summed up as: * Melody really does not like being referred to as 'Star Child' or more commonly 'the Star Child' * People who are familiar with Melody but do not know her personally, seem to be unaware of how much Melody dislikes being referred to as 'Star Child'. In-fact they seem to believe that they are paying respect to Melody by referring to her by that name, which might imply it is a title or honorific of some sort. * People who do know Melody quite well and have an unfavorable opinion about her or Lyric, are clearly aware of how much Melody dislikes being referred to as 'Star Child' when they refer to her as such. * Lyric has never referred to Melody as 'Star Child' or any derivation of the term, but rather either by name or as 'her daughter'. Which isn't all that surprising given that Melody and Lyric are functionally two sides of the same coin. Key questions that remain unanswered at this point are: * Why Melody is referred to as 'Star Child'? * Is Melody the only entity that is referred to as 'Star Child'? 'The Attorney' Though little is known of Thiasians in general, even less is known of 'The Attorney', namely: * Is there more than one of them making them not an individual but a group of identical members of some form of service class? * Does he/do they have actual names? ('The Attorney' has always been simply referred to as 'The Attorney') * Are they, like all other Thiasians that have been encountered, have the ability to tap into 'The Music' and use it to perform spells? 'The Music' As mentioned above 'The Music' is the power source for the Thiasian's magical abilities. Other than that not much else is known. However it has been revealed but not been made known to any other characters other than Melody and Gabriel that Melody's cottage contains a third occupant, in the form of a small girl sleeping in an ornate bed within a room accessible from within Melody's Cottage by not physically located there. This small girl is the current vessel within which 'The Music' resides. Who the girl is, where she came from, why the Music has to be contained within a physical vessel, what qualifies as a viable vessel for containing 'The Music', is the little girl ever awake, what happens when and if the little girl awakens, etc have never been explored nor are there any plans to explore these issues and questions. Background/Behind the Scenes Information * The name 'Thiasians' was created by Ragnarok_3797, though he intended it to be more encompassing and include Gordon as well. * The concept of a society that worshipped music was created by bardcrest based on a line from the song 'You Get what You Give' by The New Radicals, namely "Don't let go/You've got the music in you" * The name 'Star Child' was created on an impulse by bardcrest based on a fleeting glimpse of the movie poster for 'Star Kid' in an article of the worst movies aimed at kids. * Speaking of 'Star Child', despite coming up with it, bardcrest currently has no set meaning for it or intentions to establish firmly a meaning behind it other than Thiasians will keep referring to Melody as it out of either a desire to get on her nerves or a misconception that doing so is the right thing for them to refer to her as.